Gap Year Fellowship

Are you spending your gap year in Israel and looking for something more?

The Smol Emuni Gap Year Fellowship will deepen your gap year with serious Torah learning, courageous conversations, and new friendships. Together, we’ll ask the hardest and most important questions about Israel, Judaism, Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We will learn the history of the region, hear from activists and study early and contemporary religious texts.

Why Join?

Your gap year is the perfect time to ask big questions and grow as a Jewish leader. The seminar combines:

  • Serious Torah learning in a beit midrash setting.

  • Courageous conversations with Israel’s top thinkers and activists.

  • New friendships with American and Israeli peers who care deeply about Torah, peace and justice.

This is a chance to learn, grow, and make your gap year unforgettable.

2025-2026 Program (Fully Funded) Includes:

  • 8 Friday Seminars in Jerusalem (October–May)

  • 2 Shabbatonim (late November + end of May)

  • Special tour + shared programming with Israeli Smol Emuni students

  • Cost of transportation, lunch and shabbatonim will be covered

Ready to Apply?

If you’re curious, passionate, and open to learning — this fellowship is for you.

September 1 - portal opens
September 21 - applications due

email us your questions at gapyear@smolemunius.com

Please feel free to share this with friends who would be excited about this program.

Apply Now

Questions?

Email us at gapyear@smolemunius.com.

For gap-year students interested in learning more about the program, we will be holding an optional drop-in information session in Jerusalem on the morning of Friday, September 12. Those who would like to attend should email us or reach out on WhatsApp at +972 54 7097972 for details regarding location and time.

  • Mikhael Manekin

    Israeli scholar and theologian, activist and founder of Smol Emuni Israel.

  • Esther Sperber

    Architect, writer and founder of Smol Emuni US.

  • Shalhevet Schwartz

    Teaches and studies at Yeshivat Drisha. A graduate of SAR and Yale, she is a member of solidarity activist group Bnei Avraham.

  • Eliana Padwa

    A graduate of Brandeis University, she taught history before moving to Jerusalem from New York to pursue human rights activism in the West Bank.

  • Yaaqov Lawrence Shenkin

    Studied at Yeshivat HaKotel and Machon Lev, and a member of Bnei Avraham. Will be acting as a Beit Midrash guide.